A strain of bird flu detected in Ireland.

A strain of bird flu has been found in Ireland. Tests on a wild duck from Co Wexford confirmed the presence of avian influenza subtype H5N8, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.The bird, a widgeon, was found alive but unable to fly on December 28, in Wexford town.No infection of a human has ever been recorded by H5N8, however it presents a serious concern for farmers. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre said it can cause serious disease in poultry and other birds.The department said the detection was not unexpected, as there had been infections of a "highly pathogenic" variant detected in Great Britain in the last two weeks. Last week, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed introduced regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 requiring the compulsory housing of poultry as a result of the increased threat. Further tests are being carried out to determine whether the virus found in Ireland is the same highly pathogenic strain that is currently present in Great Britain and mainland Europe. continue

How to make money hatching eggs.

The very first factor to consider when you are planning to venture into poultry business is quality of your stock,hence your day old chicks must be procured from reputable hatcheries. The introduction of new viable stock into the market will expand stock population but also increase revenue for the farmer Starting off,identify the breed you desire to invest in and then look for viable breeders with proven records. Select eggs from breeders that are (1) well developed, mature and healthy; (2) compatible with their mates and produce a high percentage of fertile eggs; (3) are not disturbed much during the mating season; (4) fed a complete breeder diet; and (5) not directly related [brother, sister, mother, father, etc.]. Hatchery is the major operation of hatching fertile eggs to produce day-old-chicks commonly referred to as D.O.C. which is the foundation stock. If the D.O.C are not viable then the whole process of poultry farming is in jeopardy.The source of the breeder stock must be sure and proven to ensure success.The hatchery operation may be large scale or small scale depending on the size of the incubator. This incubator is a box-like apparatus used to hatch fertile eggs and the success is dependent on temperature,humidity and ventilation and turning. The incubator types see Producing D.O.C with good breeder stock is important and stocking density is usually 1:10 that is a cock to a hen,so with 1000 hens you need 100 cocks,these are mixed in the deep litter house to produce the fertile eggs. The fertile eggs are collected,disinfected and stored in the fumigation room,before taking them to the setter incubator.The purpose of fumigation is to ensure the eggs are free from pathogens and the fumigation is usually carried out using carbolic acid or potassium permanganate. The eggs that are to beset are selected based on size,shell thickness, cleanness and lack of any deformity such as misshaped eggs e.t.c. The eggs are transferred to the cold room with a temperature of 100 F and relative humidity of about 60% for 7 days. On the 8th day the eggs are put in the setter incubator for 18 days with 60% humidity and eggs are turned manually or automatically every 3 hours. The eggs are removed from the setter after 18 days for candling,this process is to remove the fertile eggs from infertile ones. The fertile eggs are then set into the hatcher incubator where they will be for 3 days. Eggs must hatch and lively chicks come from the shell,these are then vaccinated and ready for sale.

Breeding goats for profit.

Planning is fundamental for the success of any endeavor,thus breeding goats for profit is not an exception. The breeding season is important in the calendar of the farmer as this is the platform that will make or mar his investment. Goat breeding can be for meat or for milk ,the foundation stock is very important here. Goats chosen as foundation stock must be from proven stock with good genetic traits that the farmer wants to potentiate on the farm and defiantly disease free. Goats to be bred must be in good health condition, no lameness,anemia,weakness, ectoparasites and definitely no orchitis. An important factor that affects profitability in a goat operation is the kidding process and this involves anything from birth weights to growth to efficiency. The breeding season is a critical time so that we insure not only that does get pregnant, but ensure they also produce twins by ensuring high conception rates. The buck must have been checked for breeding soundness,the physical parameters are important. The buck must be steady with good stamina,and good body conformation. The size is another factor, fat or lean bucks can service does effectively. The size,shape and texture of scrotum and testicles are important, testicles should be firm but without lumps or abscesses which is a sign of trauma or ongoing infection. The size of scrotum is very key in breeding as the scrotal circumference is related to the semen volume and hence sperm viability.The greater the scrotal circumference ,the higher the semen volume and hence viability of sperm. The quality of semen is important,this is collected and checked prior to selection for breeding.The semen must have large numbers of healthy sperms with great motility. The does must also be checked for size,structure,physical conformations and weight as overtly fat does usually have low conception rates. The profit margin in production can be spiked by twining,this can be achieved by maintaining a nutritional plan for the does. Does are given balanced,nutritious diets prior to breeding and several weeks after to ensure the sustainability of pregnancy and birth of healthy kids.The nutritional status of does if inadequate could result in weak kids,kids with low weight or even death of kids. There is also a spill over effect on the quality and quantity of colostrum,prolonging the weaning age of the kids and spending more money to prop them up,hence cutting into projected profits. A farm with perfect bucks and does with excellent body condition,health status and nutritionally advantaged can actually spike profits by ensuring twining on farm,thus getting more kids for the price of one. A proven buck with good genetic traits can have the semen used on various farms if semen evaluation is positive,this means a buck may not be on site in the farm but the semen can be available via artificial insemination.

Harmful effect of feeding dogs a raw-meat diet.

Pet owners need to be informed of risks, otherwise there becomes room for potentially harmful pet food diet beliefs if knowledge is not shared on the issue. Many pet owners believe giving a raw-meat diet to dogs is safe and in the best interest of the dogs,however this is not the case as some fatal cases have been linked to this practice. Food poisoning is the major risk here,dogs are usually ill from consuming spoilt,rancid ,tainted or contaminated meat leading to vomiting,diarrhoea and in severe cases death from dehydration. Raw meat also acts as host of certain parasite thus causing severe infection.Feeding raw meat also alters the behavioral pattern of most pets as experienced has shown that they tend to be more aggressive an vicious ready to attack and bite. Feeding raw meat to pets not only has health implication for the pets but the owner as well.The nutritional requirements of pets cannot be fully supplied by giving raw meat diet,thus nutritional deficiencies are common in such pets. A balanced diet is essential for growth ,development and effective functioning of systems in the body.

3D Printing Technology As Treatment Protocol For Arthritis.

Arthritis is becoming more rampant than ever, listed as the number one cause of disability and affecting over 50 million Americans, which is project to grow to around 67 million by 2030. The word arthritis is essentially defined as ‘joint inflammation’, and is an overarching medical term that describes around 200 rheumatic diseases that negatively impact the joints, surrounding cartilage, and connective tissues. 3D printing technology is helping patients to overcome it,as 3D printing has been used on numerous occasions to help enhance arthritis treatment.A 3D printing expert from the University of Waterloo produced a printer capable of 3D printing bone-like structures from calcium polyphosphate and last year, a number of assistive arthritis tools were 3D printed to ease certain tasks for those with the disease. Randy Clark, a doctor from the Utah-based Coral Desert Orthopaedics of St. George, detailed how improved 3D printing technology has led to better treatment methods for arthritis. Thus far, 3D printing is already capable of assisting in treating the most common form of the disease, which is osteoarthritis in the knee, generally caused by worn-down joints from overuse or abuse. There are a number of self-prescribed treatments to help alleviate this type of arthritis, such as exercise, staying healthy, and keeping the muscles around the joint strong. But some may require surgery at some point, which is where 3D printing technology has started to come into play. The use of patient-specific 3D printed implants help and surgeons believe that those suffering from arthritis could have more joint motion, less overall pain, and maybe even a quicker recovery. All of these benefits come at about the same cost as traditional implant methods, but did require a fair amount of trial-and-error to get right.

Arthritis becoming more prevalent with age, but technology keeps up from KCSG.com on Vimeo.

3D Scanning and 3D Printing Reveal the Evolutionary Roots of Joint Pain.

A study in University of Oxford by researchers shows how evolution may be responsible for some painful and aggravating conditions many of us currently face, especially as we get older. The Oxford Orthopedic Evolutionary Group was formed by Clinical Lecturer Dr. Paul Monk, Zoology Professor Fritz Vollrath, and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Musculoskeletal Science Dr. Jonathan Rees. The group’s research studies the evolutionary origins of human bones, how they turned into the skeletal structure we have now, and the ways in which they may be responsible for orthopedic problems today. According to the researchers recurring or chronic joint pain that seems to come from nowhere such as back problems and knee issues are everywhere, afflicting people seemingly without regard to size, diet or level of physical activity. The reason for this, according to the Oxford researchers, may go all the way back to when humans began walking on two legs – apparently our bodies didn’t adapt to it as well as they should have. Looking backwards involved taking CT scans of 224 ancient bone specimens located at the University of Oxford, London’s Natural History Museum, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Those scans, which were taken not only from humans and hominids but primates, dinosaurs and other animals, were used to create a library of 3D models, which the researchers studied and compared to track the changes in the shapes and structures of single bones over the course of millions of years. One thing that they discovered was that the “neck” of the human thigh bone appears to have started growing thicker around the time humans started standing on two legs, which makes sense as the thigh bones would need to adapt to support the extra weight. Unfortunately, the thicker the femoral neck bone, the likelier it is that arthritis will develop – a good explanation for why so many adults suffer from hip pain. If the human body continues to evolve in the same trajectory as it has for millions of years, the femoral neck bone will continue to get thicker, leading to more cases of arthritis. The researchers used the 3D models to 3D print the “skeleton of the future,” using a mathematical algorithm to predict how human bones will continue to change shape, and if their predictions are correct, it’s not just the hips that will develop worsening problems. The study also found that a gap in the shoulder, which allows tendons and blood vessels to pass through, has been growing narrower over time, which would account for the pain that some people have when they lift their arms over their heads. source

How to use data to breed and promote disease resistance in ruminants.

The uses of data in agriculture and agribusiness is growing by the day from normal monitoring of animal production,to epidemiology,to animal tracing and product tracking to now disease resistance.Breeding programmes for ruminant benefit largely from data,data analysis and interpretation as this gives an accurate projection of production status and hence profitability of venture. Food security can be achieved if modern techniques are injected into agriculture with respect to breeding genetically superior breeds and species. Data analysis not only simplifies the work of the farmer it also cuts costs and extends productivity of animals on the farm. The use of data on farms has gone a step further by promoting health and productivity of farm animals. Parasites in farm animals are a major cause of of losses and farmers strive to keep internal and external parasites at bay,now farmers are using Estimated Breeding Values (EBV) data generated through the National Sheep Improvement Program, to help promote genetic resistance to parasites. EBVs are calculated by making comparisons, or rather genetic linkages, between not only related animals in one flock, but also by looking at those genetic linkages with related animals in other flocks. Through these linkages, producers can then make selection decisions for a number of different traits. This multi-trait selection can often include traits that may or may not be visually evaluated. Parasite resistance would be one of those traits that would incorporate both visual and non-visual appraisal. When selecting breeding animals, the goal is to select those genetics to be passed to the next generation of the sheep flock. When you only select on phenotypic traits, those you can visually assess, you are not able sort out the difference between how much of this trait is affected by genetics compared to how much of this trait is affected by the environment now the, EBVs can take the guesswork out of the visual appraisal. The most accurate method to assess parasite resistance in an individual sheep is through the use of an EBV for worm egg count.The EBV for parasite resistance is based on worm egg counts (WEC) that are recorded at weaning, early post-weaning or late post-weaning time-frames. Animals that have a low or negative WEC EBV can be expected to have more resistance to parasites than animals with higher EBVs for WEC e.g if you want to choose between a ram with an EBV of -20 and one with an EBV of 2 for worm egg count, you should consider the ram with the -20 EBV over the other ram. Producers who raise sheep in temperate climates where internal parasites have a large effect on growth and performance can find this EBV very beneficial. According to NSIP’s fact sheet “NSIP EBV Notebook” research suggests that post-weaning WEC EBVs are the most useful genetic indicator of parasite resistance, although studies with Katahdin sheep show that weaning worm egg counts provide useful information on parasite resistance in young lambs. Weaning and post-weaning WEC EBVs are strongly, but not perfectly, correlated. Learn more here and lets start breeding ;see